In late March we added forums to our Pocket PC magazine Web site and the response has been excellent. (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/forum/). Since day one the forums have been active and useful.
We hope you take advantage of them. EVERY Pocket PC user has questions or problems now and then, and forums are an ideal way to get the help you need.
Top Experts Contribute
Our Support forum is moderated by Pocket PC expert Bob Katayama of Techno-Brains.com (www.technobrains.com). This forum was immediately the most active, and Bob quickly established a valuable presence on our board.
Other top experts that we've been fortunate to involve include Microsoft MVPs David Hettel and Robert Levy. The title "MVP" means that Microsoft has recognized their expertise and designated them as "Most Valued Professionals" in the Pocket PC community. We expect a number of additional experts to come aboard as guest moderators, including some tech support professionals from the device manufacturers.
A Wide Range of Forums
In addition to the Support forum, we offer a forum for each of the specific devices. The HP iPAQ forum has also had a lot of activity right from the start. We also have forums for Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, Smartphones, and Handheld PCs.
Not all of the forums are devoted to getting help. The third most popular forum early on was Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, which offers Pocket PC users an opportunity to express their opinion on what they like and don't like.
Games Central, moderated by our games editor, Allen Gall, was also quick to get some attention. Note that another new feature of our site this year is a free weekly e-mail newsletter written by Allen that contains game news and info. Sign up on our Web site for this and other free newsletters (www.PocketPCmag.com/newsletter.asp).
My own forum, What's Happening on the Web, is lagging a bit. But I have high hopes that people will visit and post links to their favorite resources. Plus you can use that forum to give feedback on my columns.
Other forums discuss new software and accessories, tips, articles that appear in our magazine, the electronic versions of Pocket PC magazine, and enterprise mobility solutions.
Registering on the Forums
You can read our forums without registering, but if you want to post you have to register. Registration is free and requires only a username, password, and e-mail address. Plus, we ask you whether you're a subscriber to the magazine. You don't need to be a subscriber to access the forum--we're simply eager to know if our readers are using it. You can be assured that we won't share any information about individuals with anyone. Read our privacy policy at
www.PocketPCmag.com/forum/privacy.asp.
Portion of the main page for Pocket PC magazine's new discussion forums.
When you register, you also have the opportunity to put a bit more detail into your user profile so that other members will know something about you.
We have even included a "GeekScale," a fun way of giving others an idea how serious you are about your device. You can identify, via dropdown menus, info such as how many applications you've installed, how much time you spend each day using your device, etc. You then receive a score on our Geek scale, a score that becomes part of your user profile. Of course, taking this "test" is optional.
Other Helpful Forums to Check Out
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